While the world shelters in place to see if a vaccine might end the COVID-19 pandemic, a body of researchers are suggesting that if the scientific community only took studies on certain plant compounds a little farther, widespread effective treatments could be developed that ward off this coronavirus and future ones.
These include resveratrol and flavonoids collectively known as polyphenols, containing impressive flu-fighting elements such as quercetin, luteolin, fisetin, curcumin, and.
Gaining a lot of popularity as an anti-aging supplement, resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant that also helps suppress pro-inflammatory compounds like IL-6 and TNF-alpha that are associated with disease, the latter of which involved in every disease known to man.
This was demonstrated in a study, described here, where healthy individuals were given a 6-week course of 40mg of resveratrol derived from the extract of a plant called Japanese knotweed.
Currently, resveratrol, a compound present in most plants which is expressed when they experience stress, is being looked at as a potential ameliorator of viral infections including seasonal influenza and COVID-19.
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Anti-aging and antiviral
One of the principle ways resveratrol influences longevity is by acting as a mimic for the effects of calorie restriction on sirtuin activation.
A study in Nature reports a finding in yeast cells that showed, “resveratrol mimics calorie restriction by stimulating sirtuin-2, increasing DNA stability and extending lifespan by 70%”.
Now being examined as a potential co-factor in a possible COVID-19 treatment, one can see other ways in which resveratrol can help extend lifespan.
Its main antiviral mechanisms inhibit viral protein synthesis, inhibit various transcription and signaling pathways, and inhibit viral related gene expressions—in other words it makes it harder for viral cells to live, being that viruses hijack our own cells’ reproductive and regenerative functions for their own nefarious purposes.
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One exhaustive study looked to pair plant phytochemicals like flavonoids with the now FDA-approved hydroxychloroquine as a way to stop the docking mechanism of COVID-19. Resveratrol was examined as it has been found to inhibit one of COVID’s corona-cousins: MERS.
Resveratrol was also found to ameliorate other virus like pseudorabies and HIV-1.
The study found resveratrol to have moderate success, but with luteolin, kaempferol, and quercetin having the largest success. These are all polyphenols or flavonoids that are found in fruits but mostly vegetables, with quercetin being one of the most commonly-consumed polyphenols in society.
Foods and supplements that provide COVID-fighting flavonoids
Unfortunately, resveratrol is difficult to consume with only foods. It has poor oral-bioavailability and despite what your bartender tells you about its presence in red wine, you’d die of alcohol poisoning before getting any beneficial amount of resveratrol from drinking.
In reality, a supplement is what’s needed, stored in a cold dark environment, and taken with a meal with a moderate amount of fat. Many studies on the beneficial effects of resveratrol have used resveratrol taken from Japanese knotweed, and those looking to follow the science to the letter would seek a knotweed supplement.
Quercetin, which was shown to disrupt the docking systems of SARS-CoV-1 and 2, is found most richly in capers, but also in a variety of vegetables like the leaves of cilantro, radish, and fennel, and red onions and watercress. Kaempferol, found in arugula and kale, is also available in significant amounts in raw or canned capers. Luteolin, with proven antiviral effects on SARS CoV-1, a pandemic in China back in 2003, and can be found according to one literature review in carrots, peppers, celery, olive oil, peppermint, thyme, rosemary and oregano.
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Edited from an article published on World At Large, a news website of nature, science, health, politics, and travel.
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